We made it through the school year from September through the end of February with nothing more than a slight sniffle. No ear infections, no flu, no trips to the ER for broken bones. Then March came. Warmer weather, longer days, greener grass — spring is definitely on its way, and I thought we were home free with sickness. Then about 12:30 last Tuesday night, I heard a pathetic voice calling “Mommy” from the bathroom. I drug myself out of...

My plans for this weekend — pruning. I know, it doesn’t sound very exciting, but it’s something that desperately needs to be done. Last year, I completely forgot to prune my crape myrtles in February, so I just didn’t prune them at all. And that was okay, I’m not a big fan of overly pruned crape myrtles anyway. But as the Clemson Extension Service says, it’s okay to do light pruning in late winter or early spring, as it shapes up the...